[TowerTalk] Top Ten Devices

[Charles H. Harpole]

I just purchased and have installed one six-way Remote Switch Box and six
of the A/B Switch boxes.  If thinking of doing same, here are my comments
for what they are worth:
1.  consider purchasing only the six (or more) A/B Switch Boxes..... at
least see if this configuration will do what you want by themselves;
2.  be prepared to solder VERY tiny connections, both inside the Remote
Switch Box Control Head (on a programming patch "panel"-- a royal pain
even with the tiny soldering iron I had, and an inexcusible little thing
that no one should have foisted off on anyone) and somewhere in the line
that begins at J2, the control voltages output jack.  The latter is a
computer type 25 pin jack with those TINY pins--again a soldering
nightmare, even if you do as I did and purchase a ready-made plug and
cord--the cord has to end somewhere and that is likely an earlier end than
where you want it to terminate!  meaning another tiny wire nightmare;
3.  The 13.8 VDC is output at a nonstandard pin location (not pin one and
not pin "last") that got my weak mind mixed up and I wired the thing wrong
first time-- i.e., between the Control Box and the Switch Boxes.
4.  If you also want to control some ICE or Dunestar or other auto
bandswitching bandpass filters, don't forget -- in all of your frustrating
soldering-- to solder in a multi wire cable in parallel to go to these
filters;
5.  The Top Ten instructions are in techno speak, so be prepared, and they
do not specifically note how to wire either to the ICE brand filters nor
to Kenwood rig applications via you computer.  Also, apparently the ICOM
and the Yaesu/Kenwood versions of Top Ten are not interchangable.

Other than these considerations, these are very nice units.  I do worry
about their stated 1.5 KW limit (RTTY, you know!).  Also, be ready to
solder 30, that's THIRTY, coax plugs for interconnecting jumpers -- add 12
more for a second Six-Way Switch Box and four more to go from two rigs to
two Switch Boxes--  for a full installation that is 46 coax plugs on both
ends of all coax jumpers.
AND, don't forget to place some kind of plug-and-socket on both seven-wire
control lines (from Control Boxes to the Six-Way Boxes, two wire bundles
totally)  to unplug for lightning protection.  I used Cinch Jones for
that.

Still want to automate two rigs and at least six antennas?
de K4VUD


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